A woman who went viral for her portrayal of an Oompa Loompa-like character at a Willy Wonka event in Scotland has spoken about the disastrous experience.
Kirsty Paterson, 29, confirmed for Sup on Wednesday that she is the woman pictured in photos currently circulating online of Saturday’s nightmarish incident at the Box Hub warehouse in Glasgow.
Paterson said she was surprised to learn her photos were being shared online, but she recognized herself immediately.
“I’m not going to lie or sugar coat this: this was enough for me,” Paterson said. “It’s funny to me and I can make a humorous joke about it, but the flip side of it is that this is embarrassing for what I do, and I hope it doesn’t tarnish that.”
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When she’s not working in children’s entertainment, Paterson said she’s a yoga teacher and fire dancer, according to Sup. Entertaining children is “more of a side hustle” for her, so she jumped at the chance when she saw a related job posting on Indeed promising to pay £500 (about $631) for two days’ work.
But Paterson claimed she still hasn’t been paid for her work, nor have the other actors signed a contract for work. “So it’s like we’re going through all this for nothing.”
Guests reportedly paid £35 (about $45) to enter, but there wasn’t much to enjoy. Photos from the event show a sparsely decorated room with almost none of what was promised in the seemingly AI-generated ads, which even contained a few spelling mistakes.
A Willy Wonka-inspired event to which the police in Glasgow have been invited.
Jenny Fogarty / SWNS
Paul Connell, another actor hired to work at the event, told The Independent that he was stunned to see an almost empty venue when he arrived for the dress rehearsal on Friday, PEOPLE reported. He hoped that the next day the situation would be better, but it was not.
Paterson said she was also “shocked” to see the state of the place when she first arrived. “They said they were going to work all night or whatever, so I just assumed it was going to be a lot better,” she explained.
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Both Paterson and Connell claimed that they received an AI-generated script for the event and were eventually prompted to improvise. This was the first time Paterson had received the script the night before the event.
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A Willy Wonka-inspired event to which the police in Glasgow have been invited.
Jenny Fogarty / SWNS
Some of the costumes were seemingly as disastrous as the experience itself. Paterson thought her costume was “really cheaply made” and “so inappropriate” for a children’s event, according to Sup.
Even the actress did not know what she was wearing until the day of the event. “I thought, ‘I don’t know if I really want to do this.’ But I signed the contract and part of me didn’t want to disappoint the kids who are going to this,” she explained.
Paterson tried to “make the best” of the situation, but it was difficult. At one point, she was handing out just three jelly beans per person while standing at a table that the internet described as a meth lab.
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Still, Paterson felt “so guilty” about taking part in the miserable event. When the elderly couple suggested she should be well paid for this, Paterson replied: “I’m this close to leaving. This is not what I signed up for.”
Paterson hopes that “everyone will get their money back,” including those who bought tickets to attend the House of Illuminati event.
The House of Illuminati did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“I laugh about it now, but I was very angry with the children and parents. I know people have spent a lot of money coming here. It’s a disservice to what I do.”
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Source: HIS Education